Brotherly love was in full effect Friday at IG Field for a pair of Edmonton Eskimos.

What was just another non-televised pre-season game in the Canadian Football League to many turned into a pretty memorable moment for Alex Taylor and Shai Ross.

The brothers, both Eskimos rookies, not only found themselves back in their hometown of Winnipeg, but also getting a bigger share of the spotlight on the field with the team electing to sit 35 veteran players — including all but five starters.

“It was absolutely amazing,” said Ross, who was drafted in the fifth round (40th overall) by the Eskimos this year. “This is technically my home field, last year playing for the University of Manitoba Bisons.

“Coming out here, I felt right at home and from there, I just did my thing.”

Including an impressive 75-yard kick return late in the third quarter, only getting hauled down on a last-chance tackle by former Bisons teammate Dylan Schrot.

“It was a great chance to go out there and show the coaches what we have and that’s exactly what we did,” said the six-foot, 180-pound receiver. “Honestly, I’m just trying to put my best foot forward and give it my all when I’m on the field to give myself the best chance to make this team.”

Ross was attending a National Football League mini-camp with the New York Giants in May when he got a call from the Eskimos saying they were about to draft him.

“I had my phone nearby while I was trying to learn the playbook that I was at the mini-camp for,” Ross recalled. “When I got the call, I was absolutely excited and it’s a blessing.”

After hanging up, the first phone call Ross placed was to Taylor, who had been drafted in the sixth round (48th overall) by the Eskimos the previous year, before returning to Western University following training camp to help his defending-champion Mustangs get back to the Vanier Cup final.

“You could just look to me on the sidelines when he was making plays, I was like a cheerleader out there,” said Taylor, who had eight carries for 26 hard-earned yards after getting the start at running back Friday. “When he broke that kick return, I was sprinting down the field with him on the almost-touchdown. I was going crazy, so it’s definitely an honour and a blessing.

“You grow up your whole life competing against your siblings and your brothers, and it’s kind of cool to get the opportunity to compete with your siblings. It’s never happened with us before and we always talked about getting to a situation where we played each other in a championship or just playing on the same team. And here we are.”

Despite growing up together, the two had never played on the same team prior to suiting up in green and gold for the Eskimos’ two pre-season games last week.

“This is kind of a dream come true, we were dreaming of this since we were kids,” Ross said. “I always knew there was a slight possibility this would happen, but when it actually did happen, it was kind of surreal because this is a blessing to be able to play on the same field as my brother.”

Sharing the same mother, and each carrying the last name of their own fathers, Ross and Taylor are the latest siblings on a familyfriendly Eskimos roster that previously included the Comiskeys, Dan and John, and, most recently, the Kings, Ryan and Neil.

“It’s been great since we got Alex last year and have been able to get Shai this year,” said Eskimos head coach Jason Maas. “I know it was a pretty special moment for them when Shai got drafted by us.

“Obviously, brothers are brothers. It’s pretty special when you get to play with one on a team and it doesn’t happen very often in pro sports. But they’re both doing their jobs and hope to make this team and ultimately if they do, that will be a great story.”

While the younger of the two at 23 years old, Taylor was the one who first got onto the gridiron, with Ross not following him until Grade 12.

“I got into football first and I got into football because my cousin played,” Taylor said of Markus Howell, currently the passing-game co-ordinator and wide-receivers coach with the B.C. Lions. “I grew up watching him play a lot of football and just thought it was something I’d try.

“Shai was good at sports, he’s a big basketball player and skateboarder. Once he saw what I was doing and the kind of fun I was having, he said why not try it, too?”

Little did they know that decision would lead to each other having a built-in roommate for training camp one day.

“Absolutely, coach said to me when he initially called me: ‘Do you want to room with your brother?’ ” said Ross, who would like nothing more than to have the living situation continue on through the season. “So that was a special moment and we’re just here, we’re ready to play ball and we’re going to just keep giving it everything we’ve got and hope for the best.”

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